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Loujain al-Hathloul

As for the freedom of speech, it’s promised by the government. They promise us that we are actually protected, and we have the right to express ourselves freely without being condemned or sent to jail, or whatever. But in practice, it’s not there. We’re still in jail for saying very normal and very rationalized opinions, but they still send us to jail.

Loujain is a feminist activist in her late 20’s. She is among the most outspoken women’s rights activists in the kingdom. She was detained for more than 70 days after she attempted to livestream herself driving from neighboring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia in 2014. She was detained by Saudi authorities as she attempted to cross the border and referred to the Specialized Criminal Court, an anti-terrorism court on charges of criticizing the government online. She was later released without trial. Activists say Loujain was arrested again in June of last year in connection with her advocacy

Loujain was later detained by authorities in Abu Dhabi, where she was residing, and transferred to Saudi Arabia earlier this year where she’s been under a travel ban since March, leading up to this arrest.